The Grieving
by Lulakeshia
Summary: After seeing her broken, battered body, Levi has been feeling one simple emotion. Grief. He realizes he has loved her and now that she's gone, she is always invading his mind.
1. Grief

**This takes place after the 57th Expedition outside of the walls. Enjoy**

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 **'Shut up...'** Levi thought as the man talked to him. This man, was Petra's father. "Petra..." He muttered under his breath, letting her name roll off his tounge. Mr. Ral chuckled lightly, oblivious to the fact that his daughter had died to the hands of that monster. **'The female titan.'** Levi growled inwardly. "She has written many letters to me." He smiled. "She claimed she wanted marriage, but I'll let you children handle that." Mr. Ral chuckled as he gentle patted Levi's back. His head hung lower, his face showing one, simple emotion. Grief. He was grieving for her. He missed her dearly. Levi chuckled softly, something he rarely did. "You never know you love something until it's gone forever." He said, stopping the man in his tracks. He understood quickly what had happened, his baby girl was gone. Levi left the man to cry for his daughter, allowing him to scream his insults towards the young captain. He sighed lightly as the civilians muttered, complained, and insulted the Survey Corps. "The brats have no idea what we have been through; what we have seen." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The memories flooded in like a storm. He remembered her bringing him his morning coffee everyday. Remembered how she was the such a kind and gentle woman off the battlefield, but became extremely alert when a situation was dangerous. He remembered her being promoted to his squad. Levi remembered every detail about Petra. For the first time in forever, he almost allowed his emotions to take control of his body. **'But...not now. I can not let my guard down just yet, not one of these civilians shall see me become emotional. I am Humanity's Strongest Soldier.'** He thought.

 _Timeskip_

Once he was in his office, Levi looked at the paperwork with a deadpanned stare. "This bratty paperwork never seems to disappear." He grumbled as he grabbed a quil and began to work on the papers. He sighed lightly as he looked up at the door, a memory of Petra bringing him massive stacks of paperwork. Though the papers annoyed him to a great extent, he did enjoy having her company. The corporal growled lowly as his grieving had gotten worse. He had gripped the quil tighter, breaking it. His hands began to ball up into fists in his hair. He let out a yell of distress and anger, then began to cry. He had missed her and he was sorry. He felt as if he had failed. His breathing became staggered as he was having a fit. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. He didn't have time to compose himself, he didn't care too. "State your name and business." His dry, shaky voice said. "Cadet Armin Arlert, you've been summoned by Commander Smith." Levi slowly began to compose himself. "We have information of the Female Titan." The young cadet stated. The corporal's face turned to a scowl. He got up from the chair and opened the door, following Armin. The boy lead him to a room with squad leader Hanji, Commander Erwin, and his fellow cadets. Armin took his seat at the foot of the table, sighing lightly. **'Poor Levi...he is suffering from loss. However, the Female Titan shall pay for this.'** He thought as he laid out his blueprints filled with plans. "Upon close inspection, I have figured that the Female Titan is Annie Leonhart." No one was shocked, except Eren. "A-Annie, how?" Mikasa looked at him. "She has the features of the monster." Erwin agreed with her. "It's also very intelligent, such as your Titan form." "But-" Eren started, but was cut off by Levi. "Shut up, brat. You have seen the Titan's fighting style and Annie's fighting style. They are very similar to each other. Do not deny it, your friend is the Female Titan." Eren quieted, allowing Armin to continue on with the plan. The plan was very clear, they were to catch Annie off guard and the others were to attack her and arrest her before she turned to her Titan form. Levi smirked as one thought ran through his broken mind. **'May you rot forever in your soon-to-be cell, Leonhart...'** The group was dismissed from the meeting room after the plan was explained with more elaborate detail. Even with his grief, Levi felt as if he could calm down for once today. The thought of having the young girl put in her place made him feel a sadistic happiness. However, Titans did unexpected things. Even the intelligent ones. There's no telling how the mission would go the next day and how many lives are to be lost, if things were to go wrong. He sighed lightly and sat at his desk, deciding to drown himself in the sea of paperwork. **'I need to get my mind off of this.'** He thought as he began to continue the work.

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 **That's all I have for now. It's a school night and I need to sleep. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it, bye.**


	2. Making Plans

**Chapter Recap**

The thought of having the young girl put in her place made him feel a sadistic happiness. However, Titans did unexpected things. Even the intelligent ones. There's no telling how the mission would go the next day and how many lives are to be lost, if things were to go wrong. He sighed lightly and sat at his desk, deciding to drown himself in the sea of paperwork. **'I need to get my mind off of this.'** He thought as he began to continue the work.

 **Now**

Having a very strict determination, the troubled man wanted, no **needed** to finish the last few documents. They were slowly easing his mind. "I will not give up." Levi muttered to himself. **'Not like you did to Petra.'** His mind taunted him. It was trivial to compare a woman to paperwork, but in Levi's eyes. People were like paperwork; difficult and impossible to get around since someone always shoved it in one's face. However, Petra was a different type of paperwork. She wasn't shoved into his face. She gradually landed in his hands, like a pleasant offer. "She was special, she was a beautiful work of art." He said quietly to himself. Levi got up, his sleep deprived body feeling heavy. "I need to rest." He sighed as he went to his room. After taking a long, relaxing shower, he changed into his nightshirt and went to bed.

 _The Next Day_

There was a soft knock at the door. Levi groaned angrily as he woke up. "What time is it?" He muttered to himself as the knocks gotten louder. He cleared his throat. "State your name and business." The corporal said in a stern voice. "Mikasa Ackerman and...I was ordered to wake you. You're um...late." She said, a slight wave of nervousness settling in her voice. In times like these, she had shown emotion. Levi's eyes widened and his face had shown shock and anger. "I-I'll be there in a moment." He said. He got up and combed his disheveled hair, tied his cravat into a neat knot and put on his dress shirt and white pants. As he walked out his door, he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. Levi groaned inwardly to himself. **'Late..I've never been late.'** "Dang it!" He growled as he slammed his fist into the wall, causing small cracks to form from the impact. Hanji looked at him, frowning. "Corporal Levi? Are you alright?" Her normally hyper demeanor had disappeared once she saw how broken he was. "I'm fine..." The man said in a low voice. This scared the brunette squad leader shook lightly. **'I have seen Levi in many states, but this...this is frightening. Different and frightening. Poor Levi.'** She thought to herself. "A-Are you s-" Hanji was quickly cut off. "I'm fine! The death of a few incompetent brats do not phase me!" He yelled at her. "Do not think of me as soft because most of my squad is gone." He grumbled at the scared woman then shoved her aside and walked away. Many others had saw this and began muttering about it. **'He's going insane from what I hear.' 'He and Petra had a relationship, he's still upset about her death.' 'Well, he doesn't have to be so rude just because he's grieving.'** Their words continued to run through his mind, nonstop. What has become of him? Levi sighed lightly. His friends have avoided him. He has allowed his emotions to take over and it has made him an outcast. Erwin himself has told him he should take leave on his mission, let the others handle it without him.

 _Timeskip_

Around lunchtime, Eren, Armin, Jean, and Mikasa were going over their roles of the plan for tomorrow's battle with the Female Titan. "Tomorrow is the day I'm supposed to go to court." Eren began. "However, I will not be going to the courthouse." Jean nodded, though he felt disgusted with his role. "Of course, I'll be posing as Eren." He mumbled. "I'll be sitting with Corporal Levi and Commander Erwin." Jean continued. "That's right, Horse Face." Eren said quietly. Jean growled. "What was that?!" He said as he got up. Eren got up as well, ready to land a punch towards the boy. Mikasa got up and shoved both boys down into their chairs. "Both of you behave like children. If he is a 'horse face' Eren, then you are. Whatever.." She sighed as she sat down in between them. "Armin will continue to describe the plan since you two are very dimwitted." Arwin's face flushed lightly as he began to describe the plan. "Eren will not be going to court, Jean will be posing as him. Mikasa, Eren, and I will try to lure Annie to the vacant underground city. There, she won't be able to transform into her Titan form. The Military Police will have her arrested since she won't transform." He explained. The others nodded at the plan. Soon, lunch was over. Eren had began to get ready for the next day. All those involved in it from this branch were getting ready. Eren had began to fill up both his gas tanks, that being the last thing he needed to do. "Hey Eren, could you fill up my tanks to?" A soft voice asked. It was Armin, he was stil a bit uncomfortable asking his friends for help. However,Eren didn't seem to mind the simple task. "Sure." He said as took the tanks from the blonde. Armin smiled softly. "Thanks Eren, I have to go. Commander Erwin has summoned me to his office. He has a plan just in case ours does not go well." Eren chuckled at this statement. "Summoned by the highest? That's an honor. Normally, he'd call for someone like Levi." Armin's smile faded. "Well...Levi is a bit unstable at the moment..." Then the blonde retreated to go handle his business. Eren sighed lightly. "The man's been unstable for a while now...he has to get over it. Come to think of it...I haven't seen the shorty since training." Which was true. Levi didn't show up for lunch. he had disappeared during training, saying he needed to be alone. He didn't tell anyone where he was going or what he was to do. The older squad leaders didn't seemed phased by his disappearance, but the cadets were a bit on edge about it. They did not understand this side of Levi. They honestly missed the threats of cleaning horse stables, but since he was not there, nothing was right for the young cadets. Some were beginning to think he was going to make a rash decision, such as cause his own death. That was not the case..

 _With Levi_

In a Titan infested area, stood the corporal. He was ready to face the monsters, they had taken away something...no someone very precious to him. His eyes glowed red as he began to kill the giants left and right. Immense speed and anger carried him as he quickly sliced through the napes of their necks. He was so upset, he did not stop to clean the blood from his sword. **"Destroy them...'** He thought darkly. **'Slice the nape of their necks.'** He gracefully flew through the air knocking these beast over. One by one they fell. Levi sighed softly as he had slowly gained control of himself. He mounted his horse and began to head back to the HQ, knowing a lot was going to happen tomorrow. "Tomorrow.." He started. "She will be gone." He said as he quickly rode away from the area. He rode through the thick flora so the Titans wil not be able to follow him.

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 **That's the end of the second chapter. I hope you guys have enjoyed it. As always, comment and review.**


	3. The Female Titan

**Chapter recap**

 **'Slice the nape of their necks.'** He gracefully flew through the air knocking the beasts over. One by one they fell. Levi sighed softly as he had softly he had slowly gained control of himself. He mounted his horse and began to head back to the HQ, knowing a lot was going to happen tomorrow. "Tomorrow..." He started. "She will be gone." He said as he rode away from the area. He rode through the thick flora so the Titans will not be able to follow him.

 **Now**

Around midnight was the time Levi had made it back to the headquarters. He was filthy and smelled like a Titan. The smell was enough to make him sick, it disgusted him. "Ugh...I hate being this dirty." He muttered to himself. He put his horse in the stables then went into the large building. It was quiet, there was no one awake, to his surprise. That was not the case. There was a loud _swoosh_ , a figure had came flying towards the short man. His eyes widened in surprise as he was suddenly knocked over by the "flying" figure. He turned to look at the thing, which stood right in front of him. This thing, no **person** , was wearing a Survey Corps uniform. "Impostor..." Levi growled as he shoved the person against a wall. The build, from what he can see, was that of a woman. "State your name and business!" He growled as he wrapped his hand around the woman's neck, holding her in place, but not trying to hurt her. She smirked lightly and spoke. "Your mistake...Corporal Levi." "Don't fool around, brat! Why the heck are you here!?" He yelled, alarming many cadets and squad leaders in the building."If you want to _kill_ me, why don't you do it now? While your friends are watching? Won't it be nice to take out the woman who was an associate to the Female Titan?" She smiled darkly seeing his eyes glimmer at the mention of the creature. "Didn't she murder Oluo, Eld, Gunther, and hm...who am I missing? Oh, Petra! I heard she was very dear to you. How are you-" Levi growled and kneed the woman in the stomach, causing her to fall onto her knees. She groaned in pain. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, chuckling. "You do not deserve to be at my level, brat. I am forgiving enough to let you go. If I weren't, you'd wish you were never born." He chuckled darkly then growled as he brought his foot to her face, kicking her. "Levi," A stern voice started. "Let her go. She will be held for question another day." It was Erwin. He had came to see what all of the commotion was since a cadet had alerted him. He dropped her, grumbling. "She deserves no mercy..." He said as he retreated to his room. Erwin looked at the woman and sighed. He looked at the two soldiers next to him. "We are going to have to hold you captive for a while, miss." He said as they handcuffed her and took her to the basement of the headquarters. Eren looked at them confused. He had not been able to fall asleep yet so he just sat in his room, bored. "Eren, move in with one of your fellow cadets. We need to keep this woman for questioning." The taller one said as he went to a cell and locked it, placing the woman in it. Eren complied with their commands and took his stuff to Armin's room. The tired blonde was confused and didn't understand what was going on, but allowed his friend to sleep in the room. After the situation was dealt with and the strange woman was placed in a cell. Unfortunately, her gaurds have left her unattended. They felt exhausted and retired to their chambers. The girl smirked lightly and whistled a soft lullaby. It was a signal for the Annie. She only knew the song and it beckoned her to find the woman. Annie had been riding through the forest on horseback, her horse surprisingly quiet in the dead of night, its hooves galloping against the ground being the only thing heard. She pulled on the reigns, making it stop in place. However, she was nowhere near the HQ. She began running towards the building. "Hitch...let's see what information you have now..." She smirked. Once she made it, she quietly snuck in. Annie was much better at sneaking around, not being able to alert anyone. She easily found her way to the basement and went to her cell. "I see you always seem to get in trouble..." She said, slightly upset with the woman. Hitch smirked lightly. "Trouble is my middle name." She laughed. Annie quickly placed a hand over her mouth. "Shush up...we don't need to get caught!" She exclaimed. Hitch nodded, trying to hold in her laughter. **'Annoying woman...she's lucky she is of use to me right now. Thanks to her, I am always a step ahead of the Survey Corps and their Titan weapon.'** She smirked lightly at the brunette then began walking away. "Come on, if I leave you here, they will most likely execute you in court." Hitch nodded and followed Annie.

 _The Next Morning_

The next morning was everyone was up early, eating in the breakfast hall as usual. However, Seen felt very tense. "Eren..." A quiet voice said to him, it was Mikasa speaking go him. Her soft, caring voice forced him to look at her. "There's something wrong...I can tell." She said. He nodded. "Something's not right." Eren muttered softly. Armin looked at him and sighed lightly. "An unknown woman had snuck into the headquarters last night. She had to take Eren's "quarters" since there was a cell in there." Levi had listened silently to their conversation. His ears perked up when Jean said something very interesting. "She may have escaped. Knowing the other branches of our military, that's the only thing they are good at." Levi growled lowly. "If she escaped, we will find her. She has claimed she works alongside the Female Titan. Once I find the Titan, I will kill her." He said, loud enough for the table to hear. A grim expression was plastered on Connie's face. "Corporal Levi, sir, this is not in your interest. The very thought of you killing a human normally sickens you. Are you certain you can-" "I can and I will. If Eren can not bring her down, I will!" Everyone had gotten quiet at the sudden outburst. Levi growled and left the room to prepare for the attack. Erwin sighed lightly and walked to the group of young fighters. "Cadets Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, it's time." They nodded and left the mess hall. The rest of the cadets and squad leaders left as well. They knew Eren was going to be put on trial and much evidence was going to be used against him. Many thought he wouldn't make it out alive this time. However, Armin knew differently.

 _Timeskip_

The journey to Wall Sina was very tense for the Survey Corps. Jean was not enjoying the fact that he was dressed like Eren and Levi seemed to be on edge about the Female Titan, though he hid the emotion very well. Erwin frowned lightly. **'Hopefully, Jaeger can destroy the Titan.'** He thought. The commander did not like seeing his soldiers in such states. Armin carefully slipped out of line once he saw Annie hiding in an ally. Mikasa and Eren followed suit, removing their hoods once they were hidden. "Armin, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with the other soldiers." She stated bluntly. He nodded. "I know, but I have plan to keep Eren alive without him getting caught by the police." He pulled back one side of his cloak, showing her his 3DMG. "We're going to leave, but we need your help." The blonde let his hand fall, hiding the gear and weapons. Annie nodded in understanding. "Alright, follow me. I know where you can escape." She had began leading the trio to an underground tunnel. **'These idiots believe their plan is working, but thanks to Hitch, I will always be one step ahead.'** She smiled as they arrived at the tunnel. The trio walked into the dark tunnel, but Annie would not follow them. "Aren't you coming with us?" Armin asked. The platinum blonde shook her head. "I'm afraid, I can not go with you." Eren looked at her, a slight anger boiling within him. "What do you mean? What's stopping you?" Mikasa frowned lightly, sensing something was off. The air was tense. Annie looked at them and began laughing as if she were a maniac. "You honestly thought your plan would work? I'm always a step ahead." She smirked as she brought her hand up to her mouth, ready to shift to her Female Titan form.

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 **Alright guys, here's chapter three. Ha! It's left with a cliff hanger. Anyways, I'm sorry for the long wait. Balancing high school and hobbies is very difficult when high school always overpowers it. I will try to have chapter 4 ready by Christmas, my gift to you guys. I hope you enjoyed, leave your comments and concerns.**


	4. In The End

**Alright guys, this is the final chapter of _The Grieving_. I hope you guys enjoy, happy holidays and Merry Christmas.**

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 **Chapter Recap**

Annie looked at them and began laughing as if she were a maniac. "You honestly thought your plan would work? I'm always a step ahead." She smirked as she brought her hand up to her mouth, ready to shift to her Female Titan form.

 **Now**

The air was thick. Armin was on edge, wondering what to do. Luckily, there were the soldier hidden behind buildings, disquising themselves as common people. Soon, they rushed after her. "Keep her from turning!" One said as they began to hold back her hands, restraining her. "We must not let her turn." Annie smirked once she heard this. **'They can only be so dim.'** She thought as she flicked her ring, allowing a thorn-like prick to stick out. She flicked it across her thumb, causing a wound to form. Armin's eyes widened as he and his friends saw her shift. She threw the men and women that tried to stop her, injuring some and killing others. Her eyes locked with Eren's, she was determined to destroy. "Eren," Mikasa started. "We need you to shift." The boy nodded and bit his hand, but nothing happened. All he felt was a sharp pain that ran throughout the palm of hand. Nothing more, nothing less. Where was the blood rushing adrenaline? The lightening? The feeling of being stronger than ever? That was all gone. The Female Titan let out an earsplitting roar and reached for Eren. No one knew what she wanted with the boy, but she needed him. Mikasa pulled her brother away, following Armin into the dark tunnel. "Why can't you shift?!" Armin asked, scared and worried. He had so much he wanted to do in life and didn't want death to befall upon his friends or himself. Eren panted lightly as he ran. "I...I don't know." Mikasa looked at him. "Eren, we need you to think about what you're doing and who you are doing this for. It's clear that the Female Titan is Annie. If you don't believe that soon, we'll die." A large fist broke through the ceiling, almost killing them. Eren's breath hitched lightly. He was badly injured, having a large stake through his chest. Annie looked at them and reached for the boy again. However, she was not able to get to Eren. Too many soldiers were trying to attack her. Armin looked at his friend. "Eren, please, we need you now. Mikasa and I will hold her off as long as we can, but we need you." He finished, using his 3DMG to try and distract Annie. Mikasa followed after him, trying to attack her. Both of them managed to lead her away from Eren, leaving the said boy to think. **'Do I really want to quit? Dang it! All the signs were right in front of me!'** He growled trying to get up. **'Eren, you can do this!'** He screamed as he forced himself to get up. The excruciating pain tyed in with the determination to protect the civilians was all he needed to be able to shift.

 _With Erwin_

Levi, Jean, and Erwin were fulfilling their part of the plan. They were to stall the police, allowing Eren to fight Annie. However, they also had to convince the commander, Nile Dok, that there was a titan amoung them. That was a very difficult task. Jean listened as Levi and Erwin argued with him. "There is no titan in the walls." Dok laughed. "You are foolish for thinking so. The only titan here is that boy!" He pointed to Jean, who was disguised as Eren. Jean growled taking off the wig, shocking the soldiers around him. "I'm not him! He's out there fighting for us!" Jean said. Nile looked at Erwin. "Where is Jaeger?!" Levi smirked lightly. "That brat is not here right now." Erwin nodded. "He is out there, acting on my orders."

 _With Eren_

Countless lives were rapidly being lost. With Eren fighting Annie and many civilians being in the way, it could not be prevented. Not to mention the many buildings that were destroyed. Many soldiers helped out, risking their lives for the civilians. Armin watched as many people were getting injured. "They need to take this to an empty area!" He exclaimed, loud enough for both titans to hear. Annie smirked and ran off, not caring about anyone but herself. Though she seemed ruthless, she was scared. Afraid of what was to become of her. She didn't even know why she became a titan or how. Eren chased after her, crushing through buildings and trying to stop her. Oh how that anger flowed through his veins. He felt she was an enemy and she needed to be stop. Soon, there was nowhere for her to run. He delivered a bone crushing blow to her jaw, but she managed to block it. His anger was only hurting himself. Her continued to attack her before his body was beginning to give up on him. "Eren, concentrate! Don't give up now." Mikasa yelled at him, trying to encourage him. He got up, able to attack her. He began to fight her with all his might, not giving her a chance to fight. Blow after blow and they were both exhausted. Blood and steam emitted from their bodies. Annie feel to the ground, practically waiting for Eren to finish her. However, when he tried to do so, her fear kicked in and her titan body decayed to reveal her human self. This confused everyone. What is she doing? She was defending herself. Her body had crystalized itself as if it were a protective mechanism. Flashbacks of her father came to her, these were her final moments. **'Thank you, father.'** She thought. Eren had fainted, his Titan body suddenly becoming too heavy for him.

 _Timeskip_

Eren had woken up in a hospital. "Glad to see you're awake." Armin smiled at him. Mikasa gave him a tray of food. "After you finish eating, the commanders would like to see you." He nodded. "What happened to Erwin and Levi?" He asked groggily. "Levi and Erwin are being interrogated. Many people here feel that all the destruction and damage was not worth it. Also, they feel there was no real proof that Annie was a Titan." Armin stated sadly. Eren got up, ready to deal with anything the higher ranking soldiers had to throw at him. In the end of it all, Levi's grief was gone, Erwin was able to keep his position as a commander, though he wasn't trusted, and the Survey Corps was given more respect. Things had turned out pretty well.

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 **Hey guys, sorry for the crappy ending. I'm not an expert at fighting scenes or explaining how the happy endings came out. But I did promise you all a Christmas present so here you go. I hope you enjoy.**


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